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Education the first step to reconciliation

It’s time to develop and implement a curriculum on residential schools, treaties, and Aboriginal Peoples’ contributions to Canada.

Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde (in headdress) and TRC commissioner Justice Murray Sinclair (in black suit) march during the Walk for Reconciliation, part of Sunday's closing events of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. (Justin Tang / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

By Wab Kinew, Eloge Butera and Jonathan Sas

Wed., June 3, 2015

The mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has come to an end, and in its wake a historic opportunity for Canada opens — the opportunity to build a shared future together, one where good relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians replace the fractured and distrustful solitudes that prevail today.

As the three youngest honorary witnesses inducted over the commission’s six years, our duty to make good on building this shared future now begins.

We are a child of residential school survivors, a grandchild of Holocaust survivors, and a survivor of the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. We are linked both by our families’ experiences of discrimination and dehumanization, and by our commitment to ensuring that our Canada takes decisive action today to right the undeniable wrongs of our country’s past and fulfil its potential as a nation where all children are free to reach their full potential.

As honorary witnesses, we heard first-hand testimony from residential school survivors across the country. We listened to the experiences of brutality and cruelty so many young children lived through, a long way from their homes and communities. We’ve understood the lasting legacy of the deliberate and shameful attempt to destroy their family bonds, and to extinguish Aboriginal cultures, languages and spirituality.

Throughout this journey, we were touched and inspired by the courage of the survivors who shared their stories, and by non-Indigenous Canadians of all walks of life who attended these events to hear the truth. All Canadians should stand in utter awe of the resiliency of Canada’s Aboriginal communities and families, encouraged by contemporary Indigenous movements like #IdleNoMore and #MMIW.

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Our promise to the survivors is to carry forward their painful stories of enduring what was an attempt at cultural genocide, to preserve and spread their truth. Our promise is also to help all non-Indigenous Canadians draw the link between our colonial history and the daunting challenges of today, where racism and systemic discrimination against Aboriginal people persist. We commit to fulfilling these promises for the rest of our lives.

The TRC has laid the truth bare for all Canadians to see: the legacy of the residential schools is inextricably linked to significant disparities in education, income and health between Aboriginal people and other Canadians; to the disproportionate apprehension and inadequate care of Aboriginal children by child-welfare agencies; to the disproportionate imprisonment and victimization of Aboriginal people; and to the many Aboriginal languages and cultural practices on the verge of extinction.

The work of the TRC has held up a mirror to Canadians, showing us how far we have to go. It has also created momentum for change and a road map for reconciliation. While all 94 of the recommendations are critically important, as the youngest honorary witnesses we’d like to shed light on several related to the education of non-Indigenous Canadians.

It was under the guise of education that the horrors of residential schools emerged, so we believe that education must play a role in shifting attitudes in non-Indigenous Canada. That’s why we join the TRC in calling on federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with survivors, Aboriginal Peoples, and educators, to develop and implement a curriculum on residential schools, treaties, and Aboriginal Peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada. We are also encouraged by the recommendation to have Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and practices become a mandatory part of comparative religious studies classes in publicly funded denominational schools.

The teaching of this history must be a mandatory education requirement for all kindergarten to grade 12 students. That it is not already is unconscionable. Post-secondary institutions must also commit to such actions as they educate many of the adults and newcomers the K-12 system does not reach. As the commission made abundantly clear, this is not just “aboriginal history,” it is Canadian history.

Political wrangling will no doubt emerge over the TRC’s recommendations, but we believe this is something that can and ought to be acted on right now. The Northwest Territories has shown leadership on this important issue, having already implemented major curriculum changes, and Alberta has promised to do the same.

But there’s no reason this shouldn’t be adopted nationally — and quickly. It would be a concrete step toward ensuring all Canadians bear witness to the truth of this ribbon of darkness that runs thick through our history. We encourage all of our fellow Canadians, including new immigrants, to express their desire for bold political leadership now. We have heard the truth, now let us all spread the word and work toward reconciliation.

Wab Kinew, Eloge Butera and Jonathan Sas are honorary witnesses of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

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